Cauliflower & Pea Pesto

I used to make my pesto in my mini chopper. Herbs, garlic, nuts, parmesan and olive oil.

It could handle it ok, but I decided to try something different with my new toy and it was so much smoother and blended much quicker.

I was thinking about raw vegetables and all the nutrients that would be retained if I didn't cook them first. I settled on cauliflower and peas.

I was very happy with the results. A velvety smooth and tasty pesto that coated pasta beautifully. And, more importantly, it met with approval from my two year old and my newly vegan husband. Of course, if you don't have a vegan in the house, feel free to add parmesan (veggie style of course).

September 9, 2012

A beautiful, velvety green pesto, packed with flavours and nutrients. Made in minutes.

Ingredients

½ small cauliflower

128g/1 cup frozen peas

25g/1 cup fresh basil

2 cloves garlic

1 cup/240ml olive oil

a good grinding of black pepper

Instructions

1. Cut your cauliflower into florets and peel your garlic.2. Pop all the ingredients in your blender and whizz until your pesto is velvety smooth. 3. Have a taste and check the seasoning.4. Serve over hot pasta. Spread on toasted bruschetta, panini or ciabatta and topped with salad or veg and feta or fresh milky mozzarella. Alternatively, add more olive oil and use as a salad dressing.notes: If you prefer a chunkier pesto, then stop blending once it reaches your desired thickness.You can also add some grated parmesan for extra flavour.

I am jealous - recently I saw the level on my mini blender that I should keep ingredients below - mine is always overfull and we are making smoothies so often that I am sure I would use your sort of blender a lot - I would also love your dip - if only I hadn't used my money in other ways lately :-(

WOW, Jac. My Mom had one of those Vitamix things when I was growing up (she lost it when Dad loaned it to a friend and couldn't remember which one. Boy, was she unhappy!) - they do roar a bit like a plane engine, but I can't wait to get settled and get one of my own - after judicious money saving, of course! I'm always intrigued at your pea usage - you use peas in things it would never occur to me to use!

Oh looking good! Great idea too for a pasta sauce. Looks like a useful machine thingamebob! I will make do with my stick blender like Recipe Junkie though.. Good to see you in VL this month. I write for them occasionally, they are a very nice bunch, lovely to work for :)

I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x